Nestled in Ethan's embrace, Elena was just beginning to relax when his words landed like a cold gust of wind, jolting her heart with a thud.
Earlier that afternoon, on the way to Huaihai University, he'd casually mentioned she should call him when she was done so he could pick her up.
But she hadn't called.
Instead, she'd returned to the apartment on her own.
And then—almost as if fate had it planned—Adrian showed up at her apartment after days of no contact. Worse yet, Ethan had walked right into it.
The two events, placed side by side, were too suspicious not to be connected.
Especially given how she and Adrian had grown up together, a decade-long engagement in the eyes of the public is already cementing them as a future couple.
Whether innocent or not, their shared past was not easily brushed aside.
The arranged marriage between the Shen and Jiang families only came to be after Adrian adamantly rejected the idea—only then did the arrangement fall onto her and Ethan.
Now, with Ethan seeing Adrian leave her apartment in the early evening—just the two of them, alone—it would be near impossible for him not to misunderstand.
Would he believe she had remained faithful after their marriage? Or would he suspect something more had happened between her and his brother?
For a brief second, she almost spilled everything that had happened on the staircase. But the words caught in her throat.
If she told him everything, would he believe she and Adrian were truly innocent? Or would it only deepen his doubts?
After all, Ethan had always been indulgent with his younger brother. Even when Adrian clashed with their family and refused to join the company, it was Ethan—despite being abroad and buried in work—who had personally called their parents, urging them to respect Adrian's wishes and not pressure him.
It was a gamble Elena couldn't afford.
When his loyalty was torn between a wife from an arranged marriage and his only brother, she dared not guess which side he'd take.
After a flurry of conflicting thoughts, she ultimately swallowed the truth and lowered her eyes.
"He came by to drop something off," she said softly,"We only ran into each other for a moment. He left after a few minutes—we barely spoke. "
Ethan lifted his gaze slightly in the dim light filtering through the car window. "Just to drop something off?"
Elena's fingers curled tightly.
Without looking at him, she nodded again. "Yes."
Their apartment wasn't far from Yushan Residence. Soon, the car rolled into the underground garage.
Elena's nerves were taut, braced for further questioning. But apart from that one question in the car, Ethan said nothing else. During dinner at Yushan Residence, he didn't mention Adrian again.
By the time they went upstairs, Elena's tightly wound nerves finally began to unwind. After washing up—perhaps noticing that her waist and legs were still sore—Ethan didn't touch her that night.
She curled up under the blankets and fell into a deep sleep.
Since returning from abroad, she had taken extended leaves, falling behind in her lab work. Determined to catch up, she'd buried herself in the lab from Friday through the weekend.
By the time she'd finished all her experiments and packed up materials from the lab, it was already evening—and outside, the sky had opened up in a torrential downpour.
It was the weekend, and with the rain pouring, the campus was nearly deserted.
Elena stepped out of the lab building and was immediately hit by a wall of wind and rain. The chill seeped through her clothes like icy needles.
She frowned at the heavy rain, trying to figure out how to get home when her phone rang in her bag.
Retreating back to the entrance to escape the wind, she pulled it out and saw it was Eric calling.
When she picked up, before she could even say a word, he asked urgently:
"Madam, there's a sudden storm tonight. Mr. Jiang is in the middle of a critical international meeting and can't get away, but he's arranged for a driver to pick you up."
"When are you heading home? The rain's really heavy—I'll have the driver come to the building."
Elena looked out at the puddles collected on the ground and replied, "I'm leaving now. I'm at Lab Building 05. Where's the driver?"
"He's at the South Gate," Eric replied promptly. "That's close to 05 Lab. He'll be there in two minutes."
As soon as she hung up, another call came through seamlessly—Ethan.
The icy wind left her shivering. She turned around and walked a few steps deeper into the building, away from the entrance.
"Ethan?"
His voice came through the line, laced with the background noise of wind—he must've been standing near a window. "You're done for the day?"
"Mhm," Elena nodded. "Just finished, I'm heading back now."
Knowing she was afraid of thunderstorms, Ethan kept his voice gentle, soothing.
"Don't worry. The driver's almost there."
"It's cold and windy outside. Stay inside. Don't come out yet. Wait a minute or two so you don't catch a chill."
"Okay," she answered obediently.
Ethan didn't hang up. He stayed on the line with her, quietly keeping her company until the driver arrived.
"The meeting here at E.R. Group will last another two hours," he told her. "Don't wait. Butler Pang already had the chef prepare dinner. Eat something when you get back and get some rest."
"If you need anything, message or call me."
Elena agreed to everything.
The driver arrived swiftly.
Even in the downpour, the black sedan's headlights and swishing wipers made it easy to spot. As soon as she turned to look, the car pulled up directly in front of the steps, and the driver rushed over with a large black umbrella.
"Is that the driver?" Ethan asked.
"He's here," she confirmed. "You get back to work—I'm heading home."
"Alright. Be careful."
After hanging up, Elena got into the car.
The driver held the umbrella over her and opened the door in advance, shielding her from the rain.
By the time they reached Yushan Residence, the sky was completely dark. Even though she hadn't gotten wet, the wind earlier had left her thoroughly chilled.
Dinner was already laid out. After exchanging a few words with Butler Pang, Elena ate quietly and returned to the third-floor bedroom.
Messages were already popping up in her work group chat for the week ahead. She skimmed them briefly, then set her phone aside, took a hot shower, and crawled into bed.
By the time Ethan returned from his meeting, Elena was fast asleep.
He entered the room and saw her curled up beneath the red quilt, sleeping soundly. Without disturbing her, he dimmed the lights and went to the study to handle some remaining emails.
At 9:40 p.m., after a call from Eric to confirm the next day's agenda, Ethan showered in the guest room and returned to the master bedroom.
Elena hadn't moved. But her brow was furrowed, like she wasn't sleeping peacefully.
He stood at the edge of the bed for a moment.
His fingers brushed gently across her brow, trying to smooth out the tension.
Then he turned off the remaining lights, lay down, and pulled her into his arms.
The rain outside hadn't stopped. If anything, thunder was starting to rumble in the distance.
Thankfully, it wasn't loud, and Elena, already deep asleep, didn't stir.
Ethan closed his eyes, holding her close.
But barely two hours later, the quiet girl in his arms began to stir restlessly. Her skin was burning hot.
Ethan's eyes flew open.
He turned on the light and touched her forehead—it was scalding.
Frowning, he immediately grabbed his phone and dialed a number.
Elena had no idea she was running a high fever. All she knew was that she was trapped in a dream she couldn't escape.
She'd always had a psychological aversion to thunderous storms. Even if she couldn't hear the thunder while asleep, the storm had infiltrated her subconscious.
She didn't remember how the dream started.
All she knew was that she was reliving that same stormy night from ten years ago.
Eventually, the scene shifted to her childhood years at the Jiang estate.
The dream was a swirl of fragmented memories—blurred and distant—until it solidified into one specific moment: a fight with Adrian.
The dream Adrian wore the same expression he had during their recent confrontations—cold, mocking.
He sneered at her, demanding to know if marrying into the Jiang family was all she ever wanted.
If she was so desperate to cement the engagement.
He hadn't wanted the marriage, so she'd gone straight to his older brother to make it happen anyway.
The dream was filled with biting words.
Elena, in tears, could no longer hold back. The last of her restraint shattered, and she lashed out at him, furious.
Ethan had no idea what sort of nightmare she was caught in.
When he returned to bed after making his call and reached to cradle her and offer her water, she stirred under the covers, brow furrowed, whispering one name—
"Adrian…"
He froze.
The name sliced through the quiet.
His dark eyes clouded, not with anger, but with something far more unreadable. An abyss of shadowed emotion that betrayed no light.
The hand braced on the blanket curled into a fist.
When she murmured the name again, for the third time, he quietly lowered his eyes and lifted her into his arms, blanket and all.